Naive question for sure. But would you say it is possible to move laterally from an Indian Law firm into a foreign law firm in say, UK US Australia Canada or any other part in Europe? Is it too low a statistic and so closed off for us?
If not, what are the fairly viable ways one can get a legal job abroad? Nothing too fancy, not talking about the ones that will have you swimming in money, but will keep you comfortable?
If you cant make a lateral move, is it a pipe dream to think that you may be able to land a job abroad post an llm?
I see all my other friends from various different streams moving abroad with mediocre profiles, and I dont like the thought of this avenue being completely shut for me.
While its definitely possible for us lawyers to make it abroad, however, the time it takes is generally longer than people from other professions. This is not a norm but a general understanding, an excellent lawyer might be able to make it in a much shorter time than his peers. Coming to an LLM, it doesn't guarantee a position in a foreign law firm but it may be able to put you in a better position than before. EXPERIENCE is the most important thing when it comes to law. Once you have good enough experience and know the practice well, you stand a good chance. Do a Linkedin search, you'll find many Indian lawyers who made lateral moves abroad. But as I said, Experience and skills are key.
If you’re okay with a decent legal job (nothing fancy just average middle-class jobs), your best bet is Canada, followed by Australia or Europe. As regards Europe, do an LL.M. in France/Germany, intern with TMF/Intertrust, and become a full-time employee. Voila! Again, the salary is just circa EUR 50,000 so do make the assessment of whether you would like that (high taxes etc.) However, you’ll have a great work-life balance, a good amount of socialising with colleagues, and travel at your fingertips. A weekend trip to Paris, brunch in Austria, a long weekend in Switzerland - a perfect Instagram life lol. Would not recommend this route to ambitious folks though.
Right now is the best time for India qualified capital markets lawyers at the 2 PQE or more stage to move to the UK. There are lots of vacant positions due to high attrition rates and expanding teams and not many UK qualified lawyers to fill these positions. While the usual pref is given to Australia / NZ qualified candidates, they don't want to shift to the UK now because of extended countrywide lockdowns in Aus / NZ and the fear of being away from home for multiple years. So UK firms are looking for Indian lawyers instead. This is a very short bracket of time for this opportunity. Make the best use of it. I know at least 7-8 cap marks Indian lawyers who have applied and got into Magic Circle firms without exclusion of any Indian law firm experience. Do some research you'll come across their names.
No need for any exam at the application stage. Just apply sincerely, give the application your best shot, and make sure you have abundant experience in the field and you display it well. Exams like SQE and others will be taken care of AFTER you get the job. And your UK firm will pay for it.
Naive question for sure. But would you say it is possible to move laterally from an Indian Law firm into a foreign law firm in say, UK US Australia Canada or any other part in Europe? Is it too low a statistic and so closed off for us?
If not, what are the fairly viable ways one can get a legal job abroad? Nothing too fancy, not talking about the ones that will have you swimming in money, but will keep you comfortable?
If you cant make a lateral move, is it a pipe dream to think that you may be able to land a job abroad post an llm?
I see all my other friends from various different streams moving abroad with mediocre profiles, and I dont like the thought of this avenue being completely shut for me.
EXPERIENCE is the most important thing when it comes to law. Once you have good enough experience and know the practice well, you stand a good chance. Do a Linkedin search, you'll find many Indian lawyers who made lateral moves abroad. But as I said, Experience and skills are key.
1) married a California based software engineer. He does the earning, she does the chilling and the spending
2) worked in a tier 1 law firm, saved money, went to an ivy league college for an MBA, got a job offer
Choose your option
😴😴😴